Follow by Email

Subscribe To

Followers

Wrong! Read on to find out.
I'm following the satay sauce recipe in Best of Singapore Cooking.

My first round of satay sauce is too chunky because the peanuts are all roughly chopped as per the recipe. And the colour doesn't look right. I suspect the recipe should have some turmeric.
For the second round, I pulverize half of the peanuts to give the sauce a smoother and thicker consistency. Surprisingly, that also gives me the right shade of golden yellow colour for the sauce.

Now I know! There's no need to add turmeric. The golden hue comes from roasted peanuts, which have to be finely ground and then boiled to release their colour.
Besides changing the colour of the sauce, the finely ground peanuts also enhancethe . . . "satay flavour". You know what I mean, that special flavour and fragrance unique to satay, that makes sataytaste like satay?

How do I grill the chicken?

In the oven.

What, no charcoal?!
Nope, I don't have a charcoal barbecue with naked flames dancing. I will when I have a big house that has a big garden. Meanwhile, the oven would have to do.

Compared to some satay that looks two-dimensional because the meat is so thinly sliced, mine is definitely plus-size. There isn't any drama in my kitchen from leaping flames, dancing sparks or furious fanning. But there's plenty of juicy, succulent meat.

With or without drama, dunking grilled chicken in peanut sauce is one of the biggest pleasures of life.

CHICKEN SATAY & PEANUT SAUCE

Source: Adapted from The Best of Singapore Cooking
(Recipe for 40 sticks and 2 cups of sauce)

6. Add to peanut mixture together with palm sugar, sugar and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly. Bring back to a boil, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Reduce sauce or add more water as necessary to get a thick consistency.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Turn off heat. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools down. If necessary, add a wee bit of water and stir through. The sauce is typically served at room temperature or slightly warm, but I think it's ok too piping hot or chilled.